GUN-CONTROL PETITION PROMPTS DISCUSSION

A petition from a local church asking the Solana Beach City Council to encourage gun control spurred a response this week from gun owners, who said the requests were misguided and unconstitutional.

Members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito presented the petition to the council last month, asking them to limit the number of stores in the city selling firearms and to oppose gun shows at the nearby fairgrounds, among other requests.

The City Council discussed the petition Wednesday at its regular council meeting after hearing from speakers on both sides of the issue.

They said they didn’t think most of the items in the petition were practical or even possible, particularly those related to limiting businesses selling firearms and opposing gun shows.

“These are responsible business owners, and they should be allowed to conduct business,” Mayor Mike Nichols said.

However, the council did seem willing to consider participating in Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a nationwide coalition of mayors working to fight gun-related crimes. That was another of the requests in the petition, which was signed by more than 80 church members.

Some of the council members also said they would like to look into zoning and whether it would make sense to limit where gun and ammunition retailers are located. The City Council could legally do this, but couldn’t restrict the number of retailers, City Attorney Johanna Canlas said.

The council didn’t vote on the item, which was brought before them only for discussion.

Most of the speakers Wednesday said they were there to support Direct Action Solutions, a gun retailer in the city that used Facebook to encourage people to attend the meeting.

Brian Brady compared the idea of limiting the number of businesses selling guns in the city to Italy under dictator Benito Mussolini.

“I can’t imagine this City Council limiting to one doctor, one lawyer, or one restaurant in this town,” he said, calling the concept “a state-sanctioned monopoly.”

Greg Stockwell, one of the owners of Direct Action Solutions, said they run a safe, secure business that brings jobs to the city.

“Safety is an integral part of how we do business and everything we do,” he said.

Lynne Talley, who presented the petition to the council last month, said it’s up to local officials to take steps to curb gun violence. The congregation decided to take action after the December shootings in Newtown, Conn., in which 26 people — mostly young children — were killed by a heavily armed 20-year-old man.

The Rev. David Miller said his congregation was simply trying to do something in the local community to encourage any sort of change.